A New Beginning
by iHeArTuRfAcE
Summary: What if James Potter had a twin sister who'd been in hiding for thirteen years? What if she'd had a relationship with Sirius Black before he'd been taken to Azkaban?
1. Chapter 1

_**Author's Note:**_

Okay, for one, the only Characters I own are Jacque (Pronounced Jackie) and Amelia. There may be other characters that come into play, but we'll leave that for later. Enjoy

_Dear Miss Potter,_

_As of recently, we are in need of an Ancient Runes Professor. Seeing as that was your favorite subject, and what you continued to research after your schooling, I have decided that you are the best person for the job. Professor Binns has also requested that you take over some of his lower level classes. If you would happen to be interested in this teaching job, please write back immediately. We look forward to having you back at Hogwarts. _

_ Sincerely,_

_ Albus Dumbledore._

I shook my head as I read the letter for the umpteenth time. I couldn't believe it. After all these years working in Flouish and Blott's I'd be getting a real job. I'd been living under the radar for nearly 13 years, and just as I was starting to get used to it, Dumbledore decides to pull me out of my comfort zone.

"Fan-bloody-tastic. I suppose I do have to reply though."

"Reply to what Jacque? You get a love letter," Amelia Flanders asked, attempting to read over my shoulder.

"Not a love letter, you twit. I've been offered a job at Hogwarts. I just haven't decided on whether or not I'm going to take it."

"You're an idiot if you don't take that job! You've only wanted something like this since you started working here."

Yeah, Amelia and I went to school together so she knew I was a Potter. No sense in trying to deny it. So Harry Potter is my nephew and I'm an awful awful person for letting him live with the Dursley's for 13 years. When my brother was killed, and his best friend accused of murdering him, I was devastated. Not only with the death of my twin brother, but of my best friend Lily. Sirius was a friend of mine too or maybe a bit more than a friend. I went a little crazy, I think, when I walked up to the destroyed house and saw Hagrid holding Harry in his arms. I felt the familiar sting of tears in my eyes as I remembered that day.

_ It was a gloomy night, the kind that automatically makes you wish you hadn't left the house, and I was on my way to visit my one year old nephew and my brother and sister in law. I had a gift for Harry, since he wasn't old enough to trick-or-treat. My gift for Harry, a hand made blanket and a stuffed lion, courtesy of Gryffindor pride. I was smiling, waving at the younger children who were still out trick-or-treating. They ran up to me immediately and held out their baskets._

_ "Trick-or-treat" they chimed happily. I reached into my pocket and pulled out a few small pieces of candy that I had grabbed from my jar at home, just in case. _

_ "Happy Halloween, kids. You lot should be heading home soon though," I told them as I walked away._

_ "Okay, Miss Potter. Thank you for the candy." They ran off as fast as they had stopped in front of me and I couldn't help but feel like I should have made sure they got home. _

_ By the time I made it to James and Lily's house, most of the kids were heading inside. I knocked on their door, instead of Apparating in like most would, and James answered the door._

_ "Jacque, I thought you had work!" He quickly embraced me and nearly pulled my arm off trying to get me to come inside. _

_ "I took off a few hours early. I had to see you, Lily and Harry before going to meet up with Sirius and Remus."_

_ "Ah, still pining after Padfoot after all. How sweet, too bad he never took notice of you, I could never figure out why though." James laughed as I blushed like I used to when we were in school._

_ "Shut up! He had so many girls during school that it makes sense that he never looked twice at me. That and if he had, you would've kicked his arse." I said, shoving James so he'd quit laughing. Little did he know that Sirius and I had dated a bit in school "Now, where are my best friend and my nephew?"_

_ "In the living room, you dolt. Go on, I have to run upstairs and grab Harry's teddy bear, the one Remus gave him for his birthday. Harry loves that thing, can't imagine why…" _

_ I chuckled and went into the living room, where Lily was playing with Harry on the floor. I joined them and Harry crawled into my lap. He knew by now that I always had gifts, and he looked at me with his gorgeous green eyes. _

_ "I know, I know. You want your gift, hang on you little trouble maker."_

_ Lily groaned and tried to take Harry out of my lap. He started to cry, but as soon as I had the stuffed lion in front of him, he stopped._

_ "I swear, Jacque, once he sees you, he can't get enough of you. And stop calling him a trouble maker, you'll make him like his father." _

_ "I can't help it, Lils. He reminds me so much of James that it really isn't funny. The only thing he got from you, that I can see so far, is your eyes. I'm happy about that though, wouldn't want him stuck with something as average as my brown eyes or James' hazel."_

_ "You know exactly what to say, don't you? I hate that about you sometimes."_

_ "Liar, you love me, and you couldn't be happier to be my sister-in-law." I grinned and then pulled the blanket from behind my back. "I made this for Harry. I know you kept saying that his blankets keep getting torn up, so I figured I'd put my sewing skills to use."_

_ Lily stared in awe at the blue blanket. I had sown in blue stars, a crescent moon, a stag, a large black dog, a wolf, and a Siberian husky. I hadn't bothered to sew in a rat, because I personally did not like Peter Pettigrew. He was repulsive and I just got bad feelings around him. _

_ "I love it, and Harry will too. He loves anything you give him," Lily gave me a hug and then put Harry on the floor so we could play with him for a little bit. James came down with Harry's teddy bear and the poor boy couldn't decide whether he liked the lion or bear more. When he finally handed the bear to me, he lay down on the floor and held his lion tightly. I helped them put Harry to bed before giving James and Lily both hugs. _

_ "I'll try and come by tomorrow on my lunch break. We found some new runes that need to be deciphered and sadly, I'm the only one skilled enough. Damn interns, they think they know everything and we end up days behind."_

_ "I don't know why you continue to work. We have plenty of money in the family vault," James said, walking me out._

_ "I work because I enjoy it. Mum and Dad wouldn't want us living off their funds either. They'd want us to make some kind of living for ourselves and if that didn't work, then use the family trust."_

_ "Get out. You have to meet Moony and Padfoot. I'll see you tomorrow." He kissed my cheek and I Apparated to the Leaky Cauldron. A night with Moony and Padfoot was always an adventure and by the time we left the bar, I encouraged the two to come home with me. They were too drunk to go anywhere else. When they finally told me they'd be fine and I believed them, I went home and tried to get some sleep. _

_ An hour later, I was pacing around my apartment before sighing with defeat. Something was wrong, I could feel it and finally, I gave up and Apparated to James and Lily's. The sight that was before me, the burned down house, and the flames magical, so they were harder to put out, made me sick. Hagrid was walking around the rubble, seeming to be looking for something. Sirius was helping him look, and I walked up to the two. _

_ "Please tell me they're safe." I grabbed onto to Sirius' arm only so I wouldn't fall._

_ "Harry's safe. Hagrid has him, but James and Lily…I'm so sorry Jacque." Sirius gave me a brotherly hug and tried to comfort me as the sound of my sobs filled the night. He led me to Hagrid who in turn put Harry in my arms. I looked at him, and started crying harder when I saw the lightning bolt shaped scar on his head. He was wrapped in the blanket I'd made him, but his lion and his bear were probably burnt to a crisp. _

_ "If you can take care o' him, Jacque, he's yer's. Professor Dumbledore will be here in a moment, fer you to sign the papers." Hagrid placed a huge hand on my shoulder, doing his best to comfort me, even though large tears were falling into his beard. _

_ "I want nothing more than to take care of Harry, but I can't. This is just to soon for me. I just lost my brother and sister-in-law. Harry is alone and it's obvious who did this to James and Lily. If I take him in, Voldemort could come after me. I'd be placing him in more danger. Anyone in the magical world would be putting Harry in danger." I placed Harry back in Hagrid's arms and kissed the sleeping baby on his forehead. "I love you Harry James Potter and I'll always be watching over you."_

"Jacque, are you okay? You're really spacing out," Amelia said, waving her hand in front of my face.

"I'm fine. Just thinking is all." I smiled at her and turned towards the Defense Against the Dark Arts books. I was supposed to be shelving a few new copies of Gilderoy Lockhart's books, even though they wouldn't be selling anymore. It wasn't until I had my back turned that I felt someone tap my shoulder lightly. I jumped and dropped the last few books I'd had in my arms.

"Oh I'm terribly sorry. I didn't mean to frighten you, but you look a lot like a friend of mine from school."

"It's okay. I should be used to people trying to get my attention." I turned and saw the familiar blue eyes of Remus Lupin. "Remus? Is that you?"

"It really is you, Jacque. I thought for a moment that I'd scared some poor defenseless student who was working for the summer!"

"Yeah right, you knew it was me. How are you?" I gave Remus an awkward hug, mainly because of the books I was holding and waited for him to fill me in. "Actually," I said before he started, "Meet me outside in ten minutes and we can walk to the Leaky Cauldron. It'll be nice to have a meal with an old friend."

"I really can't, money's kind of tight-"

"My treat, sort of a 'sorry-I-haven't-been-around-much-lately' thing." When he opened his mouth to protest, I simply shook my head. "It's nothing, Remus. Just let me do this, okay? We need to catch up and I have work right now.'

"Fine, but I'm repaying you, one way or another." He grabbed the books he needed and went to pay for them while I finished up my current job. When I was done, I told the witch in charge that I was taking a break and headed out to meet Remus. He was sitting outside of the store with one of his books.

"Are you ready to go," I asked, pulling my red jacket tighter around me.

"Yes," he answered, placing his book in a bag and standing slowly. He put a lot of his weight on a cane that he hadn't needed the last time I saw him. I made no comment about it, however, and walked at his pace as we made our way to the Leaky Cauldron. As soon as we got past the magical wall and into the restaurant, I led Remus to a table near the windows that looked out at the muggle city of London. When Tom came by to take our orders, I got a salad and water. Remus looked at me oddly and ordered a steak and Butterbeer. Once Tom left after saying our food would be out shortly, I leaned forward, putting my elbows on the table.

"How have things been, Remus?"

"Are we really going to do the small talk thing? Or do you actually want to know something important? And why did you order a salad, please tell me you don't think you're getting fat or something ridiculous like that. If anything you've lost weight since…you know."

"No we don't have to do the small talk thing, I just thought we'd have a normal conversation, or act like we were. What is actually going on with you that is important? And no, I don't think I'm getting fat, I actually have a salad here everyday for lunch. If I would order something different, Tom would stay and ask me hundreds of questions."

Remus sighed and rubbed his temples. I knew I was getting under his skin and I loved that. Remus and I had so much in common but we were very different most of the time. I think I was the only one who didn't get thoroughly beaten when we helped him with his 'furry little problem' in school.

"I'm going to be teaching at Hogwarts this year, as Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher. How's that for a job? And I know you've probably heard this, but Sirius escaped from Azkaban."

"Really Remus? You're going to work at Hogwarts?" I hastily grabbed the letter from my pocket and thrust it at him. As he read the letter I watched as his eyes grew larger. "I think I have to take that job now!"

"Yes you bloody well have to," he said loudly and excitedly, it was kind of scary actually. I laughed as half of the people sitting around us turned around and gave us dirty looks.

"I'll write to Dumbledore as soon as I get home." I grinned at my friend and then my expression turned somber as I turned my attention to the subject of Sirius. "Yes, I know he escaped. But, and please don't jump to any conclusions, what if he was innocent? I know everyone says he's not, but just…He was so broken that night and he comforted me while Hagrid took Harry away. Then he was gone, like something had clicked in his mind."

"I don't know. That sounds odd, even coming from you, Jacque. I mean, Sirius killed Peter, our friend, and sold James and Lily to…" He shook his head, like he couldn't even stand to think about it. "The biggest part of Peter they found was his finger. He followed James and Sirius around like a puppy, and he was killed."

"I only told James this, and he told me I was mad, but I never felt right around Peter. He was very rat like and that was before he had an Animagus form, mind you. I just, I got one of my feelings you know. I had the same feeling the night that James and Lily were murdered."

Yes, it had taken me thirteen years to finally be able to talk about my dead brother and sister-in-law without turning into a sob fest. That and talking about my sixth sense, so to speak, usually sent people running. I shook my head and changed the subject as Tom came closer with our food.

"So, Remus, have you got a girlfriend you haven't told me about?"

"No, I don't. I'm just not great with relationships, I suppose."

"Aw Moony, you'll find the right girl some day. Don't fret about it too much, maybe you'll find your dream woman at Hogwarts."

"You're disgusting, Jacque. The only girls there are either too old or too young." He threw his napkin at me and grinned knowing that he took what I said the wrong way. Tom set our dishes down in front of us and the bill on the end of the table. I grabbed it before Remus could even glance at it, saving him the guilt of having me buy him a meal.

We talked about silly things after that, like how things were at home and how we were happy to have the opportunity to go back to Hogwarts. It must have taken us at least an hour to finish our food, with all the talking we did and once I noticed, I gasped. I was late and my job at the book store could be ruined.

"I have to go. It's been great catching up with you Remus, but I really have to leave. I have to tell that old witch that I'm quitting at the bookstore. I'll send Elle with a letter once she gets back from delivering my reply to Dumbledore."

"Don't worry about that. I'll just see you on the train."

"You aren't taking the Floo Network?" I was completely puzzled on that one.

"I don't have a decent fire place for the Floo Network, sadly. Just join me on the train, it'll be like old times." He smiled kindly at me before leaving the tip for Tom while I took care of the bill. I nearly ran from the Leaky Cauldron to Flourish and Blott's and the old witch who ran the shop gave me a hug when she heard about my job opportunity at Hogwarts. She told me I could still use my discount if I needed to buy any books for the job and wished me the best. I gave Amelia a final hug and told her I'd send word by owl in a few days; I left the store with a grin on my face.


	2. Chapter 2

_**Author's Note:**_

**I do not know James or Lily's middle name so I just made it up. Please do not send me messages saying that it's wrong, I know this. Thank you, enjoy.**

It's been a week or so since I sent a letter to Dumbledore, letting him know that I would love to come and teach at Hogwarts. I was surprised when Fawkes was sent with a letter instead of Elle. The Phoenix that belonged to Dumbledore was probably the most beautiful bird I've ever seen. I stroked his red feathers and then went about packing my trunks. I had bought new books over Ancient Runes and new copies of A History of Magic that would no doubt be ruined by the end of the year. I packed the muggle way, it was a great way to spend my time, seeing as I had nothing else to do.

Keeping true to my word, as soon as Elle was back, I sent a letter to Amelia. My poor owl was tired, but I knew she could make the short trip across town. I made a note to myself not to send her out for a few days and let her rest. Once Elle was back, without an answer from Amelia I might add, I made sure she was cozy in her cage and grabbing onto both my trunk and her cage, and quickly apparated to the platform.

I was a good thirty minutes early, as I usually was to any important event and I dragged my trunk to the car that held those things. The only thing I didn't leave with my trunk was my backpack. It held a granola bar, a bottle of water and a bar of chocolate, just incase Remus didn't have any, which was very unlikely and a book I'd just started reading the night before. My light grey jacket covered my red form fitting t-shirt and my dark blue jeans went just over the tops of my white tennis shoes. I felt very confident today, which was odd, seeing as I usually felt the need to make myself as unnoticeable as possible. Shaking my head, I wandered the train, hoping to find Remus in an empty compartment. When I did find him, he was taking a nap, his head was resting lightly on the window and I noticed that he had attempted to cover up with his patched up coat. Feeling a very maternal instinct, I pulled it up so that it covered him better and then sat down across from him, pulling my book from my bag.

I read for awhile, not paying attention to the students who were filing in, and I only looked up when the compartment door slid open. I looked up and instantly regretted it. I met the green gaze that formerly belonged to Lily Evans Potter, and my gaze drifted up to the lightning bolt scar that only proved that my nephew was in the same compartment as I was.

"This is the only one left, and there's only two people in it," a girl with very curly brown hair said. "You don't mind do you?"

"No, please sit down. There's plenty of room," I replied, surprised by how steady my voice sounded. They nodded and muttered their thanks as I turned back to my book. My hands were shaking as the three chatted about pointless things and it soon got to the point where I couldn't stand it. Grabbing my bag, I stood up and smiled before quickly walking out of the compartment. I slid the door closed behind me and made my way to the back of the train where the bathrooms were. I locked the door and then turned my attention to the mirror.

_Calm down, you knew this would happen eventually,_ I thought to myself, pushing my hand through my hair. The dark mass of curls that were more brown than black had always been my favorite thing about myself. While James and I were twins, we didn't look much alike, except in our faces, I guess. I never had to wear glasses like he did, which he always cursed me for, but he never had to have braces. _The best thing to do would be to ask him to talk with me privately while we're on the train._

_ Are you nuts,_ another voice in my mind nearly yelled. _If you tell him who you are, he'll be angry with you for the rest of your life. And he'll want to live with you as well. There's no room in your apartment._

"Nobody asked you," I muttered darkly, splashing my face with cold water. "I have to tell him, I'd rather he hear it from me than someone else."

I left the bathroom and ran into a pudgy boy who looked very nervous. "I'm so sorry."

"It's okay, Miss. It was my fault, I wasn't watching where I was going," the boy said. "I was looking for my friends."

"How about I walk with you then? I'm going to be a teacher at Hogwarts." We had already started to walk and I found out that the boy's name was Neville Longbottom. He told me about his grandmother and how he lived with her and suddenly, the train stopped and the lights flickered. I stumbled because Neville had run into me and then I saw the windows icing over. "Neville, get in that compartment, now." He noted the seriousness in my tone and did what I told him to. I pulled my wand from my pocket, holly with dragon heartstring core, and muttered, "_Lumos."_ The tip of my wand lit up and I walked carefully toward the compartment I'd left the others in. A dementor was floating through the train, poking its head in each compartment. When it reached the one that Remus and I had been in, I pointed my wand, ready to cast the Patronus Spell only to have Remus beat me to it. The Dementor fled, and I raced to the compartment.

"Is everyone alright," I asked, feeling the chills of being close to a Dementor.

"Mr. Potter seems to have fainted, but other than that, we are all fine." Remus smiled at me, knowing that I had a hard time facing the guards of Azkaban. "If you'll just stay with the children while I speak with the conductor…" He quickly left the compartment, leaving me with three underage wizards, one of which just happens to be my nephew. I could only hope that the two others didn't notice some of the distinct features that I shared with Harry.

"Clear Remus' things off the seat please, so we can lay Harry down on it." The two did what I said and gave me weird looks as I easily lifted Harry onto the red seat. Harry had been coming around as Remus left, and I stood by the window, looking into the dark evening sky.

I half expected the Dementor to come back, but I hoped that it wouldn't come to that. Dealing with those things gave me a headache, and that was the last thing I needed. I glanced at the three teenagers and suddenly wished I hadn't, because the two who hadn't fainted were staring at me.

"You were the woman sitting with us earlier, weren't you? Where did you disappear to?" The girl asked.

"Yes I was sitting here earlier, and I had some business to take care of. I was making sure no one was causing trouble, especially since not everyone found a seat."

"Who are you? That man, his name is R.J. Lupin and you seem to know him."

"I'm just the new Ancient Runes professor. Actually, once Mr. Potter wakes up, please ask him to join me in the Prefects compartment, it should be empty by now." I pulled my bag around in front of me and pulled the bar of chocolate out. "Give him some of this, and you two eat some as well, it helps. I'm sure Remus will shove some more down your throats, but this should be good enough for now." I walked out of the room without saying much else and nearly hit a pale boy with light blond hair.

"Watch where you're going," he said rudely, trying to poke his head into the compartment I'd just left.

"You were walking towards me, therefore you nearly hit me. If anyone needs to watch where they're going it's you, Malfoy." I glared, having already noticed the similarities between this boy and Lucius. I hadn't gone to school with Lucius, but I had seen him on countless occasions, especially when James and I had gone with Sirius to gather his things from his home. It was weird how we always seemed to be there on family occasions.

"You can't talk to me like that, I'm a student."

"And I'm a teacher. Get used to it, _Mr. _Malfoy, you have no control over such things. Now I suggest you go back to your compartment until we have made sure that the train is back on track for arriving at Hogwarts." The blond boy huffed and walked off and I couldn't help but chuckle under my breath. I saw Remus heading back to our compartment and sighed when he was at my side.

"I'm going to do it, Moony. I'm going to make the only family I have left hate me. I already told his friends this, but ask him to meet me in the Prefect's compartment. I don't want to force him, and he can even wait until we get to the school, but let him know it's important that I speak with him."

"You're being very brave, Pup," he said, calling me by my old nickname. Yes, I was part of the Marauders, if only because James was my brother. "I don't think he'll hate you, he might just be angry that you haven't shown yourself until now. There's no way he thinks that there are no Potters left."

"That's what you think, Moony. I just don't want to screw this up, I hope he can understand why I couldn't take him in, and why I don't think I can now."

I didn't give Remus time to comfort me, I just turned and walked to the front of the train where the Prefect's met on their meetings before arriving at Hogwarts. I sat down on the plush velvet seats, and waited. There was nothing left to do but wait for my nephew to decide whether or not he wanted to see me. I knew I couldn't force him, no, I wouldn't force him to speak with me, but part of me wished I could. If he could just sit and listen to what I had to say. My thoughts were interrupted by the train coming to a stop.

_I really need to stop thinking so much. I must've lost a good two hours thinking about the 'what-ifs',_ I thought standing up and stretching. I exited the train after waiting a few minutes to see if Harry would show up and nearly ran into Professor McGonagall. I apologized and then surprised my former Professor with a hug.

"It's so good to see you, Minerva. I hope that everything's been well."

"Miss Potter," she whispered, knowing that I wasn't completely comfortable with everyone knowing until Dumbledore announced it. "I've been doing very well, except with that incident last term with the Chamber of Secrets. I'm very glad that you took the job. I almost thought you wouldn't."

"I wouldn't miss out on teaching here at Hogwarts. It's actually my dream job." I grinned, and then realized that she usually didn't greet the students until they were outside the Great Hall. "What's going on? Why are you waiting out here?"

"I have to speak to Mr. Potter and Miss Granger. Would you like to accompany me?"

I nodded and we began to walk back towards the carriages that would carry second year through seventh year students up to the castle. When Harry and the girl with curly brown hair walked up to us, McGonagall stopped them.

"Mr. Potter, Miss Granger, I need you to come with me." When they gave her looks that obviously asked 'what-did-we-do' she added, "You are not in any sort of trouble. Hurry up."

I snickered at the confused looks on their faces as I held open the carriage door for McGonagall, and then climbed into the carriage myself. The ride to the castle was short, probably because of the creatures that pulled the damn things, and soon we were in McGonagall's classroom.

"If you could just stand with Mr. Potter in my office, Jacque, that would be wonderful. I think it will be easier to speak with Miss Granger first." She gave me a knowing a look and I gently pushed Harry's shoulder to get him to go into his Head of House's office.

I watched as he looked around the simply decorated room that served as Minerva's living quarters and wondered if mine would be similar. He was still confused as to why he was standing in this office and I sat down on one of the deep green chairs that was positioned close to the fireplace.

"Harry, could you please sit down. I have something I need to tell you." The dark haired boy looked at me oddly, but did sit down.

"Why did you want to talk with me on the train? I know I recognize you from somewhere, but I can't quite put my finger on it," he said, looking into my brown eyes.

"Before I say anything, can you please promise me that you'll hear me out, until I'm completely finished? Once I get started I won't be able to stop and it would be nice if you didn't scream or storm out. I'll answer any questions, because I know you'll have them…"

"Okay…what is it?"

I took a deep breath and met his green eyes with a sad smile upon my face. I grabbed a hair tie from my pocket and pulled my long hair back, a nervous habit from my Hogwarts days and started my tale.

"My name is Jacquelyn Lynette Potter, I'm thirty-four years old. My birthday is March 27th, 1960. I had a twin brother, and he died October 31st of 1981. His name was James Dillon Potter. His wife's name was Lily Odette Evans Potter. Does this sound familiar?" He gave me a blank stare as his mind put the pieces together. "I'm the woman in all the wedding pictures who is laughing with Lily. She was my best friend, even before she got together with James, and nobody saw that coming. I'm the last female Potter in our family, as you are the last male, and I've been hiding for thirteen years. Mainly because I have been trying to figure out a way to function without my brother's goofiness and Lily's kindness. I know this sounds odd, and you probably want me to shut up, but you needed to know before the feast."

I continued to tell him why he has been living with the Dursley's for the past twelve years and apologized for never making myself known. I told him that I had always been near by, only a few blocks away from Privet Drive and I walked by his aunt and uncle's house nearly every day. By the time I was finished, he was glaring at me, and I can't say that I blamed him. I had made his life hell by not being a part of it.

"So you're saying that I've been living in the worst place possible for a wizard even though I have a witch aunt who's been hiding for the past twelve years?"

"Thirteen," I corrected, and then covered my mouth. "Voldemort was looking for me too, Harry. He didn't just want your parents to join his side, he wanted what was left of the Potters, and eventually that would have meant you. I wasn't taking any chances that his followers, and yes I believe that there a plenty of them out there, getting a hold of you."

His glare softened for a moment and I swear it was like both James and Lily were sitting right across from me. It sounds strange, but I could see the parts of my brother and sister-in-law shining through. It was like they were telling Harry to believe me and he was listening. When he looked at me, he gave me a half smile and stood up.

"I can't say I'm ready to jump into a family relationship with you, but you are my aunt, I can see the resemblances in you and my dad, from pictures, but I don't think I hate you for what you've done. You weren't being selfish really, just the opposite."

"You're very mature for your age, I think, Harry. But McGonagall wants to talk with you, I'm sure she's finished speaking to Miss Granger." He nodded and walked out of the office with me behind him. I looked at the clock in Minerva's classroom and saw that my conversation with Harry had only taken a few minutes. Knowing that it was my fault and that I probably rushed through things, like I usually do when I'm nervous, I sent Minerva a smile, letting her know that everything was fine.

I waited while Harry was told about Sirius Black, and was surprised to hear that he had already heard about the escaped 'murderer' and then escorted both Harry and Miss Granger, whose first name I had yet to learn, to the Great Hall with McGonagall. When we entered, heads turned, but I ignored it for the most part. I had borrowed a robe of Minerva's, one that was basic black, in exchange for my jacket and had taken my hair down while we walked towards the Great Hall. As the two teens went off towards the Gryffindor table, Dumbledore stood up.

"We have three new teachers this year. First, as our last Care of Magical Creatures professor has retired to enjoy his remaining few limbs, our very own Rubeus Hagrid will be taking over that position." The Gryffindor table clapped the loudest as Hagrid stood up, and as I walked to the front table I clapped as well. "Our Defense Against the Darks Arts Professor for this term will be Mr. Remus Lupin. Wish him luck, as I'm sure he'll need it." I clapped for Remus as I took my seat to the right of him, and to my displeasure, next to Severus Snape. "And finally, last term our Study of Ancient Runes Professor retired and to replace him, we have Miss Jacquelyn Potter."

Instead of applause, a round of whispers started, many of them asking if what Dumbledore said was correct. Whoever wasn't asking that question was asking if I was related to Harry Potter. When Harry finally started clapping, the rest of the Gryffindor House joined in and soon the Hufflepuffs and Ravenclaws joined. The only table that was not clapping, and I couldn't help but feel a bit happy about this, was the Slytherin table. I didn't care too much about them liking me though, they were usually slimy gits. I mouthed a thank you to Harry who in turn grinned before Dumbledore continued.

"I know all of you are very curious as to whom Miss Potter is, but that will have to wait for another night, or perhaps, she will take questions in her classroom tomorrow. It is completely up to her. However, that is no reason that we should delay this feast. So I have but two words for you: Tuck in."

The food appeared and I quickly, but politely, helped myself to a small piece of chicken, potatoes and anything other foods that caught my eye. I chatted with Remus and asked if he wanted to help me with my lessons plans, and agreed to help him with his. I was perfectly content until a cold voice caught my attention.

"Never thought I'd see you again, Potter."

"Stranger things have happened, Snape. You of all people should know that," I retorted, reaching for my pumpkin juice. "I would hope that we could be civil, for the sake of my sanity and yours, because I honestly have no problem being immature if it's needed."

"Your nephew takes after both his father and his aunt. I don't see how anyone can see Lily in him, the only thing she gave him was life, and the boy doesn't even deserve that." He sneered at me, his hear gleaming in the dim candle light. I couldn't help but gag a little.

"You haven't gotten to know Harry very well then. I'm sure he's very much like Lily unless provoked and Lily was kind as long as you were on her good side. Now, I'd like to get back to my conversation with Remus, if you don't mind." I personally didn't care if he did, I wasn't letting him ruin my night. And what a first night back it was.

After the feast was finished and the students in their dormitories, I wandered the halls, talking with the people in the portraits and even teasing the ghosts. When Peeves saw me, he tried to give me a hug, but bless him, he went right through me. Even though he was a pain to everyone else, Peeves had never really played pranks on me, I think he knew that if he did, four other pranksters would be after him. As I passed a window that looked out on the lake, I paused to enjoy the beauty of the Hogwarts grounds. It never occurred to me before how breathtaking the forest, lake, and even Hagrid's house looked.

_It must be because my nephew doesn't hate me,_ I thought smiling and thanking James and Lily for a forgiving child. _That makes everything better. _


	3. Chapter 3

That night when I got to my classroom, I went into the back room that would double as my living quarters and office. It was very plain, much to my distaste, and with a wave of my wand, it was painted a deep red and the queen sized bed against the wall was made up with the white sheets I had brought with me and comforter that matched. My pillows, which had red pillow cases on them floated gently to the bed and I sat down as I used magic to unpack and put my things where they needed to be.

A light knock on my door brought me out of my unpacking frenzy and I called whoever it was in. I was surprised to see Professor Trelawney standing in my door way with a very serious look on her face.

"If it isn't one of my favorite students," she said, making herself comfortable in a chair next to the bed. "I had seen that you'd be back, and I was right."

"It's nice to see you Professor."

"Oh, dear, you're a teacher now, please call me Sybill. I believe your nephew is in my class this term. Perhaps he has your knack for Divination."

"Maybe, but I think I'm a special case in the Potter family. My sixth sense has very strict restrictions. Actually, I think I'm just good at reading people," I said, watching as Sybill gave me a curious look.

"I think it's more than that Jacque, you just have to figure it out for yourself." She stood up and patted my arm. "I'll leave you to settle in, dear. Don't be a stranger."

When she left I sighed in relief. Divination had been a fun class, if only because if predictions had to do with death or illness, you got full points. I will admit that the feelings I got around people are usually true, but that's true for most anyone. I'm just good at reading the intentions of people.

I continued to unpack until all my belongings were put away and then I changed into a pair of grey sweatpants and an oversized t-shirt that hung off my left shoulder. As I crawled into bed, I wondered which students would be by to annoy me tomorrow. I hoped that Harry would at least drop by to say 'hi' but I wasn't getting my hopes up too much. It was his choice how we went about building up the 'aunt/nephew' relationship. I didn't want to push him and this was no doubt one of the strangest things to happen in his life. With a sigh, I turned onto my side and drifted to sleep by the dim light of the fire.

The next morning after breakfast could only be described as hell. I don't know how many students barged into my classroom to ask me the same question. "Are you related Harry Potter?" I was about to call everyone into the Great Hall to settle that dispute just so someone with an original question would come forward. My patience was wearing thin by the time my door opened very close to dinner.

"You skipped lunch," Remus said about to close the door behind him. Before he could, Harry and his two friends, whose names I still hadn't learned, came in.

"I didn't want to get bombarded with unoriginal questions. I got bored," I answered smiling. "Hello Harry. Who are your friends?"

He looked to his left to a red haired boy. "This is Ron Weasley." He then turned to the curly haired girl on his right. "And this is Hermione Granger. You'll have her in your class."

"It's nice to meet the two of you. I'm sure you're still wondering who I am, correct?"

When the two nodded, I motioned for them to sit in the chairs behind the tables that acted as desks. Remus had made himself comfortable on the corner of my desk and was watching me closely. I sighed, knowing he wouldn't be leaving anytime soon and changed my focus to the third years in front of me.

"Ask anything you like, if I don't think the question is appropriate, or if I've heard it a thousand times today, I just won't answer." They nodded again and I leaned back in my chair.

"You're Harry's aunt, on his dad's side?" Hermione asked, her dark brown eyes looking straight at me.

"Yes, James Potter is my younger brother by five minutes." I planned on keeping my questions short and sweet when possible.

"And Harry's mum was your best friend?" Ron asked, not missing a beat. Instead of answering aloud, I nodded. "You were a Gryffindor when you were at school." Again, I nodded, thinking that would be obvious. There were very few exceptions with twins in Hogwarts. Occasionally they would be sorted into different house and when that happened, it was a huge surprise. They continued to ask me questions for the next half hour. When they were done, I turned toward Remus with a grin.

"Now I know how my first boyfriend felt when you and the guys questioned him. I will never put anyone through that. It was awful." I said laughing and getting up from my seat. Ron and Hermione both looked embarrassed, but there wasn't much I could do about that. "I know you two are just looking out for Harry. He's lucky to have such good friends. The Dursley's aren't very good company are they?"

Harry shook his head. "No they aren't. But…how would you know that?"

"Well, I was invited to your Aunt Petunia's wedding to keep peace between Petunia and your mother. And after the wedding ceremony, both Vernon and Petunia completely severed the ties with Lily. It was not a good day for anyone other than the newly weds. They felt they'd just cleansed themselves of an awful filth." I walked over to Harry and put my hand on his shoulder. "And do you really think I'd leave you there without checking in on you every now and then? Whenever something bad happened at work for Vernon or while Petunia was cleaning, but you weren't in the house…that was me. I had such a good time with that." Harry chuckled and then, much to my surprise got up and gave me a quick hug.

"We have to go. Thanks for letting us stay in here and talk."

"Anytime Harry. It was nice meeting you, Ron and Hermione." After they waved and left, I looked at the clock in my room. "We missed dinner. Nice, missing two meals in one day."

"We can always go to the kitchens and get something," Remus suggested, moving from his spot on the corner of my desk.

"I knew there was a reason I kept you as a friend," I teased, heading towards the door. "You come up with the best ideas."

"Well you and James weren't exactly the brains of the operation."

"And neither were Sirius and Peter, but for the record, I was the first to figure out where you went every month."

Remus rubbed his face tiredly. "Yes, I know, and you and Sirius came up with the idea to become Animagi. You were both fools."

"Well they say the Gods watch over fools and drunks," I mused softly, looking at my feet as we went towards the kitchens. Remus laughed and put his hand on my arm. The rest of the walk was silent, but it wasn't awkward. Remus is the kind of guy who I can just sit around and enjoy the silence. If I had tried that with James or Sirius I would have heard comments like 'a gay baby is being born' or any of those other things that people say when it's really quiet. I can't say that I wouldn't have laughed at them, but it did start to wear on my nerves, especially when I was trying to read. When we got to the painting of the bowl of fruit and Remus reached up to tickle the pear, we ate a few sandwiches in the company of the house elves. No matter how kind the elves were, after we each had two sandwiches each, we left. I gave Remus a kiss on the cheek and then went up to my room after saying goodnight. I always said goodbye to the guys that way, it was a habit that I had yet to stop.

Before heading to bed, I got my first classes' papers together. I would be with the older students who had already started the class last term. I wasn't as excited as I thought I'd be, mainly because I didn't know where they'd left off. My class of newer students, however, would be easier and much more entertaining. Once my classroom was set up, I went through the back door into my bedroom. I took a quick shower and brushed my hair and teeth before using magic to dry my hair and getting changed into my pajamas. I would be getting up at the crack of dawn to actually eat and enjoy my breakfast. I fell asleep quickly and had a strange dream, involving Sirius and Peter Pettigrew.

"_Why'd you do it Peter," Sirius asked, pointing someone's wand at the rat-man._

"_T-the D-dark Lord has power that you can't imagine. H-he would've killed me!" Pettigrew was trembling, his mouse-like features almost threatening to fall off his face._

"_Then you should've died! Lily and James' would've died for you," Sirius roared. From somewhere I stepped into the picture. I placed my arm on Sirius' shoulder and pulled him away from Pettigrew. I was glaring at the rat and felt the strong need to kick him onto the dirty floor we were all standing on._

"_You're the reason Harry and I have no family. You're scum, and if it wasn't for the fact that Sirius doesn't belong in Azkaban, I'd let him kill you." I pulled my wand from my boot and pointed it at the rat. "However, I think Harry should decide what should be done with you. Even though I was hurt by what you did, he's suffered more than any of us." _

_Sirius nodded in agreement and suddenly, Harry was in the picture too. As much as I wanted to wake up, I couldn't force myself, I had to see how this played out. My imagination was either very vivid or I was seeing something important._

"_We can take him to the Dementors. If you kill him, you'll never be free," my nephew said, looking at Sirius and then at me as if asking if his answer was correct._

"_I like that idea, Harry. The Dementors can do to him what he truly deserves." I continued to glare at the traitor and from somewhere far away I heard an annoying beeping noise._

Still in a half asleep daze, I hit my alarm clock with my palm and shut off the persistent beeping. I sat up and glared at the electronic machine that would work in the magical school and seriously thought about chucking it out the window. First and foremost, I am NOT a morning person, and yet, like an idiot, I take a job that gets me out of bed before ten o'clock. But seeing as I did take this job, I decided to suck it up and get out of bed. I changed into a pair of black slacks and light purple blouse and pulled on my socks before walking into the small bathroom that I called my own. I braided my hair and put on a small amount of makeup. Finally, after completing any other necessities, I went to the foot of my bed and put on my favorite pair of boots. The boots were black and went with anything and they were extremely comfortable, even though they had a bit of a heel. As I left my room I grabbed a black robe to complete my 'teacher' look.

I made it to the Great Hall just as some of the very early bird students were entering. I got a few 'good mornings' on my way to the table at the front of the room and took my seat next to Remus, who looked like hell. I muttered a 'good morning' to him and grabbed a bagel and a glass of orange juice and watched as the students slowly came in for breakfast. I waved when Harry, Ron, and Hermione came in together and again when I saw Neville. I knew his parents, and I'd been friends with them, even if he didn't know that. They all waved back and soon, McGonagall was passing out schedules. I could hear the groans and complaints of students as they realized that their school year was finally about to get started. I had a schedule as well, but I'm sure I had it a lot easier than the students.

_**Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays**_

**9:00am-10:00am**_ 4__th__ year Ravenclaw and Slytherin._

**10:10am-11:10pm **_5__th__ year Hufflepuff and Slytherin_

**11:20am-12:20pm **_3__rd__ year Gryffindor and Slytherin_

**12:30am-1:30pm **_Lunch_

**1:40pm-2:40pm **_4__th__ year Gryffindor and Hufflepuff_

**2:50pm-3:50pm **_5__th__ year Ravenclaw and Gryffindor_

**4:00pm-5:00pm**_ 3__rd__ year Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff_

_**Tuesdays and Thursdays**_

**9:00am-11:00am **_6__th__ year all houses (10 students per house)_

**11:10am-12:10pm **_Free period (use for grading papers etc)_

**12:20pm-1:30pm **_Lunch_

**1:40pm-2:40pm **_Help in Great Hall, students are in there for study hall_

**2:50pm-4:50pm **_7__th__ year all houses (10 students per house)_

"They do realize that Mondays come after the weekend, right," I asked Remus, not looking forward to dealing with any smart mouth Slytherins. Wasn't it enough that it was my first day ever teaching a class? Sighing, I knew that it didn't matter, that I'd have to deal with the craziness of Hogwarts eventually and why put off the inevitable?

"You'll be fine. Nobody will give you too hard of a time, they'll want to see how you teach the subject."

"Thanks, Rem. You'll be great too." I looked over his shoulder at his schedule. "Harry is in your class tomorrow during my free period. Mind if I stop by?"

"Not at all. I've found a Boggart in the teacher's room, you might find it interesting." He smiled and the age lines in his face that shouldn't have been there were very noticeable. He must've noticed the worried look I had, because he sighed and focused on his food.

"Remus, has Dumbledore asked Snape to make that potion? Because if not, I could do," I started saying before his hand was slapped over my mouth.

"I won't ask that of you. I know you'll be by my side every month, even though I haven't and won't ask. You aren't taking care of that potion. And yes, Dumbledore has asked Snape to make it. Snape agreed, and I think he knows a bit more about potion making than you do."

I pulled his hand off my mouth and glared. His hand had been sticky from the cinnamon bun he'd been eating. "Really? You couldn't have wiped your hand first?" Yes, I was mad about the sticky mess on my face, not that he'd treated me like a child by covering my mouth. "You bet your ass that I'll be with you. We don't have to go to the usual place, do we?"

"I hope you two aren't talking about your romantic evenings," Snape said hatefully. "That is something I'd hoped Dumbledore would nip in the bud. You two together would make everyone sick."

"It's just because you're jealous, Severus. You wish you were as amazing as Remus John Lupin." I put my arm around Remus in a very lover like manner and tried not to laugh. I could feel Remus' shoulders shaking as he too tried to keep a straight face.

"I will not be dragged down to your level, Potter." He got up quickly and as soon as he was out of the hall, Remus and I started to laugh. It was just like when we were in school, everyone thought I was dating Remus when we truly only saw each other as brother and sister, or that's how I felt. We tried the whole dating thing once and I didn't really feel anything, not the spark that everyone talks about when you find love. James set that one up, and he regretted it, thinking that when we broke up things would get very awkward. He was wrong, as he usually was about relationships, and Remus and I put the entire thing behind us. We both felt pretty stupid taking advice from my brother, who couldn't get a date with Lily until our seventh year.

"I've got to get going. I'll see you at lunch?"

"Yes. Good luck, Jacque." Remus stood up and left the Great Hall before I ever had the chance. I followed him, after a short talk with McGonagall about how my schedule was set up, and went to my class to wait for my first class to begin. I could only imagine how much _fun_ today would be.


	4. Chapter 4

It was about five minutes until nine when the students started to file in. I caught glimpses of blue and bronze ties and green and silver ties as multiple students from each house came in with their friends. It was a bit strange, seeing Ravenclaws and Slytherins actually getting along, but I guess that's because I'm use to Slytherins basically telling everyone else to shove it. When the bell finally rang (after those five minutes of students muttering and talking among themselves) I took my shot at getting the attention of the thirty or so students.

"Good morning class, and welcome to Study of Ancient Runes. I'm Professor Potter, which I'm sure you know. I'm not exactly sure where Professor Babbling left off last term, so if you will flip the sheets of parchment on your desks over, you'll see a small quiz." Many students groaned and a few 'booed' at me but I held up my hand, which effectively silenced them. "If you've learned anything at all about the subjects on the quiz, just let me know. I don't want any essays over the subjects, just keep it as short and sweet as you can."

The sound of quills scratching against the parchment filled the large classroom. I took my seat at my desk and waited for the papers to be brought up. It wasn't surprising when a Ravenclaw girl came to turn in her paper. She was Chinese and her long hair was a very glossy black.

"Thank you Miss…." I looked down at the paper and then at the girl and smiled. "Thank you Miss Chang. If you would just sit quietly until the rest of the class is finished." She nodded shyly and went back to her seat. Not long after, there was a line of students, each turning in their papers without saying anything. I looked at the clock on my desk and saw that only twenty minutes had gone by. I saw a Slytherin boy with brown hair raise his hand and I sighed.

"Yes Mr.?" I asked, not knowing his name.

"Aaron Matthews, Professor. What are we doing next? You can't expect us to sit here for another forty minutes can you?"

"I had hoped to try to get to know you, or at least your names, Mr. Matthews. After all, I'm going to be seeing you all three days a week. It will make things easier for all of us if I know you all by name, at the very least." And so that was how the last forty minutes of my first class was spent. Not very exciting, but it helped me beyond those children's wildest dreams. I was never really good at names, only knowing my friends and few other students while I was in school. Shame, really, especially when a good few of those people actually ended up working with me during the evenings…

The bell rang and I sighed with relief. When the last of my first class had finally left the room, an owl pecked at one window directly behind my desk. I was confused, mainly because I hadn't written to anyone and the only person I'd really write to was Remus and writing to him was rather pointless. The owl continued to peck at the window until I turned towards it, annoyed.

"All right, I get the picture, you have a letter for me. Bloody hell," I muttered as I pushed the window open. The tawny owl settled itself on the window ledge and placed the letter on the inside. "Crazy owl, surely you've gotten the wrong person…" The owl flew away after hooting at me and trying to bite my finger. I opened the letter which had my name written rather sloppily on the front.

**Jacque,**

** As much as this may shock you, I am traveling towards Hogwarts as this letter reaches you. Please do not tell anyone, but meet me on the outskirts of Hogsmead when you get the chance. I'm assuming that the first trip to Hogsmead will be around Halloween, which by that time; I will have made it on the grounds. Don't reply to this, it's not safe. It's actually best if you destroy this letter if at all possible. **

** I have so many things to explain to you, and you deserve to hear everything that happened on the night that Lily and James died. I want you to be the one to hear it, and if you think I'm a killer, then you can do as you please. Just know that I have been dying to talk to you, if only because you would be the only one to listen to me. **

** Hoping you'll give me a chance,**

** Padfoot**

**P.S. Bring food if you can.**

I could only gape in shock at the letter. I knew that at some point Sirius would try to contact me, but I hadn't expected him to come to Hogwarts. I wasn't sure how I was going to be able to meet with him either. If he was going to be close to Hogwarts, he'd have to get past the Dementors and that was something else I was curious about.

"The first Hogsmead visit is on Halloween. Today is the fifth of September….so I have nearly eight weeks to figure things out. Wonderful, by the time I go to Hogsmead, I'll have forgotten…unless." I ignored the bit about not replying to the letter and decided to write to him during my fifth year class. The students were already filing in and some of them had already started taking the little quiz I'd had the fourth years take, but it had a little more to it.

"Good morning class," I said as the bell rang to begin second period. "Please take the quiz and then bring it up. After you are finished, review anything you think is important for this class and as soon as I'm finished looking over the fourth year's papers, I'll be with you." I pulled out a quill and some burgundy ink and began to write back to Sirius.

_Snuffles,_

_Let me be the first to say: You are a moron. You must be mad to even think about coming to visit me. And how did you find out that I would be working at the school? I want to know your sources. _

_Second on the list of what the hells, why should I wait until Halloween to go to Hogsmead? As a teacher, I can leave the grounds to visit the village anytime I please. Think of a closer date, and send it to me, do not sign the letter and please be careful. I don't want people knowing about you and I don't want you hurting yourself in order to be able to speak with me. I know you didn't do it, don't bother explaining._

_ I'll try to bring food if I can, after all, you can't have had much to eat lately. I'll keep this too myself, I promise. And don't worry about me thinking…awful things about you. You're still one of my best friends, even if others believe crazy things. Stay warm and safe, please._

_With love,_

_Pup_

I looked over the letter twice before deciding it was good enough to send. It was also discreet enough that no one would be able to tell who I was writing to, or my identity either. It kind of sounded like I was writing to a lover. I nearly blushed, knowing that Sirius would not think of me like that ever again. Or would he? Shaking my head I slid the letter under some folders in the drawer of my desk and checked on my class. Many of them were still taking the quiz, but a select few had turned their papers in. I began to actually look over the fourth year papers and found that they were actually quite behind in their studies. Once that stack was done, I started on the few fifth year papers that had been turned in. They were also behind.

"Students, you can stop taking the quiz. You are behind and I'm wondering if it's because Professor Babbling spent too much time on Prophecy Runes. She did love to finally understand what some written prophecies said." A girl raised her hand and before I called on her she began to speak.

"Professor Babbling had the older students working on deciphering runes. We worked mostly at our own pace and we hardly ever had a test."

"Thank you for letting me know that. For the rest of class, I want each of you to write how far you got in your studies and I'll somehow find a way to get everyone caught up so we're all on the same page. Once you finish, set your papers on my desk and then you may leave." I stood up and walked around the room, answering questions about certain chapters in the book and getting to know this class full of students. Once the bell rang I leaned against the side of one of the desks. I was exhausted and from what, I didn't know.

_It's because of the letter. If Sirius could have sent the owl, I dunno, later in the evening, I could've taken care of replying to him before I went to bed. _I thought, crossing my arms over my chest. I looked up and noticed Hermione had just come in and taken a seat near the front.

"Good morning Professor. How have your classes been so far," the young girl asked, pulling a book out of her very large book bag.

"It's been rather uneventful. I've had to go back and find out what Professor Babbling had taught the older classes, and I just recently learned that I'm going to have to teach them things that Babbling should have taught them herself."

"So are you excited about the third year class?"

"At least I know what I'm going to teach you lot. It makes my job a little bit easier," I said, smiling and walking up to my desk. Other third years were coming in and I tried to keep a smile on my face as I saw plenty of Gryffindors and Slytherins. When the bell rang, I wasted no time at all jumping into the day's lesson and even brought up the blackboard to draw some of the more common runes. As far as classes go, my third class of the day seemed to be best. Even though Gryffindors and Slytherins are naturally hateful toward each other, this group seemed a little tamer than others. I think it was because most of the 'smart' kids take Ancient Runes and they don't realize that there are other smart children in other houses, but I could be wrong. I definitely know why Hermione took Ancient Runes, I think she had already read a good portion of the book. There was a small piece of ribbon in the book marking her place.

_At least she doesn't dog ear the pages like someone I know,_ I thought smiling. Remus had a bad habit of dog earring the pages of my books. I didn't usually mind, but I had quite a few old books that couldn't take the abuse. By the time class ended, I decided that third years were much more entertaining than any other class. I locked up my room and nearly skipped to lunch like I had during my Hogwarts days. Which is why when I bumped into Snape, I only laughed and attempted to be nice to him.

"Oh my gosh, sorry Severus. I was in my own little world, now if you'll please excuse me, I have to go…that way." I pointed away from the Great Hall and ran away laughing. Sadly it was at the moment that I realized I'd forgotten the letter to Sirius and I rushed back and spent five minutes trying to open a locked door. Yes, I do have issues. Yes, being a ditz some of the time is one of those issues. When I finally realized that the door was locked, I unlocked it and retrieved the letter from my desk before running like a slightly insane person to the owlery.

The tower that was the owlery was just as it had been during my Hogwarts days. The cold tower had straw and bird droppings covering the floor and the owls who called the place home hooted softly when they saw me enter. My owl Elle immediately flew down, knowing that she had a letter to deliver.

"I know that you haven't had much time to rest, but I need you to take this to Padfoot, okay?" She hooted softly in reply and I knew she understood. "Don't leave him until he has something for me. Be safe and watch for Ministry owls." After I tied the letter to her leg, she took off and if I might say, it was just in time. Two students walked in, muttering to themselves as they chose one of the school owls to deliver their letter. They had bright red hair that could only belong to the Weasley family and watched from my spot by wall as they attempted to be sneaky.

"You don't think that mum will mind?"

"It's our money, we should invest in what we want."

"Not like its going to hurt anything." I smiled when I heard the word 'invest' and I couldn't help but interrupt them.

"Good afternoon Mr. Weasley and Mr. Weasley." They turned around quickly and hid their letter behind their backs.

"Good afternoon, professor." They replied simultaneously. "We didn't see you there."

"What are you sending that could possibly bother your wonderful mother? I do hope that you two wouldn't think of disappointing her by doing something…stupid." I smiled at them, knowing I did the same thing with James and Sirius as a fourth year.

"Nothing, we weren't actually going to send it. We're we Fred?"

"Of course not, George. We just had to come up here and see if it was worth sending."

I walked up to them and patted them both on the shoulder. "I know you two will make the right decision and not send that." I left the owlery to both the sound of sighing and the sound of ripping parchment. I chuckled to myself because I knew that the 'I know you'll do the right thing,' speech really works. Seeing as I had wasted enough time, I went to the Great Hall and had a short lunch. I chatted with Remus and told him how my first two classes were boring but the third years were probably going to be my favorites. He laughed and told me about his classes and how they were pretty much on track but he wanted to brush up on a few things.

"So you'll be stopping by tomorrow to help with the Boggart demonstration right?"

"I wouldn't miss it. I have to know what the students are scared of for Halloween. It'll just make my day." He laughed, like I knew he would, and then we were off to our classrooms so the students wouldn't be locked out.

The rest of my classes were the same as my morning classes. By the end of the day, it was official. Teaching the older students was boring, the younger students, however, had yet to be taught by Babbling and were much easier to teach and much more fun. They actually wanted to be in the class and were excited to learn the most basic things. When it was finally time for dinner, I decided to wait until the last thirty minutes to eat and take a walk on the grounds.

_I wish I would have remembered my broom. It's been ages since I was able to fly on the Quidditch pitch. I miss that so much._ I smiled, remembering the great joy of flying with my team, or just by myself. I was such an outdoors type when I was younger, which made things easier when it came to running through the Forbidden Forest with Remus. A very preppy girl would have freaked out by the sight of Remus hunting rabbits and such, but I knew he had little choice and it was the way things went while he was a werewolf.

_Well, at least my first day of teaching was mildly amusing,_ I thought as I walked back to my classroom to get ready for bed. I needed all the energy I could get, not only would I be teaching my 6th and 7th year classes, I would be helping Remus with his 3rd year class. I paused as I went past the windows that over looked the Quidditch pitch and decided that I had to go to the trophy room. Seeing the award my brother had gotten when he played Seeker for the Gryffindor team would no doubt fill me with pride and sadness, but it was something I had to do.

The award gleamed in the dim light of the trophy room, along with many other of the golden awards. I placed my fingertips gently on the glass case and thought about James and Lily in depth for the first time since I visited Sirius in Azkaban. Shaking my head, I tried to push that thought back. I would never visit Azkaban for anybody again. I had made a special trip just to see if I could sense the murderous intent in Sirius. When I couldn't focus on anything other than the Dementors floating mere feet away from me, I left without ever getting close to my dear friends cell.

"You'd be proud of Harry, James. You and Lily have a good boy who's been through so much." I smiled, knowing that somehow they heard me and were smiling too. A new award caught my eye and I walked up to its case, leaving my thoughts of my family slightly behind.

**For Mr. Harry James Potter and Mr. Ronald Billius Weasley**

**For Special Services to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.**

It was a very large golden plaque with the dates of the past year. I had to speak to Dumbledore about it, that much I knew for sure. I mean, what kind of special services could a second year provide? And then I remembered about the terror that wreaked havoc on the school last year. The Chamber of Secrets had been opened and muggle-borns had been attacked. I shivered, thinking about the poor children who'd been petrified by the basilisk and how Ginny Weasley had been close to dying. Harry and Ron must've been the ones who saved Ginny and closed the Chamber for good.

"Good for you, boys," I muttered, once again feeling pride for my family and even a bit for the Weasley family. "But it was a stupid thing to do," I added, grinning like a fool. I eventually left the trophy room when Filch came in complaining that I was smudging the glass of the cases, which I had been, and went to my room to get some well deserved sleep. Tomorrow would be a handful, but I was ready for it.


	5. Chapter 5

After breakfast that next morning, I had my class of sixth years. It was amazing how only 40 students had decided to continue studying Ancient Runes and how little they actually knew about the subject. I felt like I was taking three steps forward and four steps back with each class, with the exception of the third years. I was lucky that I had them for a double period and they would be caught up in no time. Those two hours dragged by very slowly and I was startled by Hagrid coming in crying during the middle of one of my lectures. The half-giant asked me through his sobs to come into the hall for a moment and after getting my class to settle down, I followed him.

"Hagrid, what happened?" I placed my hand on his shoulder and pulled a tissue from my pocket. He took it and dabbed at his eyes before looking down at me.

"I ruined my job, Jacque. I tried ter make it interestin' but Lucius Malfoy's boy got hurt and now I'm goin' ter be sacked."

"Wait, was that some what the students were talking about yesterday? I heard the name Malfoy mentioned, but I didn't think anything of it." When he started to cry again, I did my best to comfort him. "Don't worry about it too much, Hagrid. Dumbledore's not going to sack you over some kid's mistake. You were teaching them about Hippogriffs and Malfoy insulted one after you told him how proud they are? It's his fault."

"His dad ain't goin to see it like that. He would send me back ter Azkaban if he could."

"Hagrid, stop worrying about it so much. I'll speak with Dumbledore and then come down to your cabin tonight and we'll talk okay? I have to get back to teaching my class." He nodded and walked away and I couldn't help but feel for him. It was only his second day and he was worried about getting fired because of some stupid kid and that kid happened to be Lucius Malfoy's nonetheless. I went back into my class feeling bad for Hagrid, only to have every sixth year in there stare at me like I'd grown another head.

"What did Hagrid want to talk to you about," a pretty blond asked from the back of the room, where I was currently standing.

"He's just having a hard time is all. He needs to get in the swing of things and that's harder for him because he's never had to teach anyone." I explained keeping it simple. "Now where was I?" I went up to my desk and quickly checked my book before continuing my lesson. By the time the bell rang, the students had forgotten about Hagrid. As they were packing up their things, I got their attention. "I want you all to write about the basic knowledge of Runes and how to decipher them. One roll of parchment please." I didn't hear any groans or protests, because this would be a simple review for them.

I straightened up my desk and classroom and locked the door before heading to Remus' room to watch the third years take on a Boggart. I figured it would be quite a show and Remus would probably play one of his old records, which would bring back good memories. The walk was somewhat lonely until Peeves joined me, gently floating alongside me while telling me what mischief he'd been up to the past few years.

"If you'll excuse me, Jacque, I must get back to causing problems for others." He waved and flew off to give someone else a headache. I couldn't help but smile and hope that it wasn't the new first years that he'd be tormenting. Of course, knowing Peeves, those children would be the easiest and most amusing to prank. Remus' room wasn't much farther down the hall and I was more than ready to have some laughs after speaking with Hagrid. I slipped into the classroom just as the bell was ringing and made my way up to the front where I expected Remus to go when he finally got to class.

"Good afternoon," he said, placing a briefcase that had seen better days on his desk. "Would you please put all your books back in your bags? Todays will be a practical lesson. You'll need only your wands." I watched with a smile as the students did as they were asked and looked as if Remus would release some type of creature into the room. "Professor Potter will be assisting us today, if you would please follow her to the staff room." The class got up and followed me through the halls, their whispers keeping me looking over my shoulder to see what they were talking about. Ron and Harry were walking right behind me and I wondered if they had done it on purpose. When we came up to the door, Remus joined us and he was being mocked by a certain poltergeist. When Peeves saw me he stopped and flew away as Remus used the spell _Waddiwasi_ to get gum out of the key hole.

When the class had filed into the staff room we were greeted with the sight of Snape. I waved at the potion master and tried not to laugh. It was bad enough that I'd picked on him terribly when we were younger, but now I was constantly teasing him about stupid things and probably freaking him it by it, which I was enjoying immensely. Remus and Snape exchanged a few words before the potions master left and Remus began his lesson. I decided to stay out of the way while he asked the class some beginning questions. Hermione, who seemed to come out of no where, knew what was in the wardrobe, a creature known as a boggart inhabited the wooden wardrobe. Harry deduced that the boggart would have a difficult time against the class because there were so many of us in the room.

When Remus asked Neville to help him, I almost protested, but after knowing Moony for so long, I let him go. The two whispered for a moment before Remus straightened up and told the rest of the class the spell to get rid of the boggart. Now that the class knew what to do, Neville had his chance to face the creature. The door opened slowly after a wave from Remus' wand, and out stepped Snape, causing me to smile. I understood why the boy would fear the Potions master. From what I'd heard from McGonagall, Neville was helpless in almost every class, with the exception of Herbology.

"_R-riddikulus_," Neville stammered and with a 'crack' Snape was dressed in a dark green dress and a hat with a stuffed vulture on it. The class roared with laughter and I clapped loudly from my spot against the wall. Remus had the students form a line and suddenly one of his records was playing in the background, adding to the fun of the lesson. I watched as the boggart changed from Snape in a dress to a mummy which at the girl's shouts of _riddikulus_ the mummy's head rolled off. A Gryffindor boy was up next and the boggart changed into a banshee which lost its voice. The boggart was quickly changed into a rat, a rattlesnake and a severed hand before Ron had a go. With a 'crack' the severed hand turned into a giant spider which promptly lost its legs with a cry of _riddikulus._ Then it was Harry's turn. As the boggart began to change shape, I moved from my spot against the wall to try and jump in front of him. Remus reached him a second before me, making the boggart change into the full moon.

"_Riddikulus_!" He cried before having Neville finish it off. He awarded five points to everyone who had a go at the boggart, ten to Neville for going twice and also five each to Harry and Hermione. "Homework, kindly read the chapter on boggarts and summarize it for me…to be handed in on Monday. That will be all." I waited until the class had filed out of the room before going up to Remus, who was rubbing his face tiredly.

"Thanks for getting to Harry before the boggart changed." I said softly, placing my hand on his shoulder.

"Not a problem, Jacque. I didn't think it would be very wise to have Lord Voldemort suddenly appear in front of the class." I nodded my agreement before leaving the staff room and heading toward the main doors to visit Hagrid.

I made my way across the grounds quickly and before I knew it I was knocking on Hagrid's door. When he didn't answer, I walked just beyond the entrance of the Forbidden Forest and saw him with a hippogriff. I made eye contact and bowed low, waiting for the beautiful creature to bow in return. When it did, I walked up to it and gave it a pat on the beak.

"Looks ter me like Buckbeak likes only members of the Potter family." Hagrid said. He smiled at me, and I smiled back before turning my attention back to Buckbeak.

"I take it this handsome hippogriff is the reason you think you might lose your job?" Hagrid nodded, I'd just had a feeling that this particular hippogriff was the reason his eyes were red and puffy. "Well, he's an excellent judge of character. Whatever happened to Malfoy, he deserved. Karma was going to get back at the Malfoy family eventually." At that, the half-giant chuckled. I gave Buckbeak a final pat and then Hagrid and I left the forest and went to sit down inside his hut.

Once we were settled in, he poured us each a cup of tea. I muttered a 'thanks' and took a small sip, before setting my cup back on the table.

"Have you spoken with Dumbledore yet?" I asked. Hagrid shook his head and gave me a sad look.

"No, I don' want ter bother him. I'll get around to it."

"You can't put this off, Hagrid. I know it's Malfoy's fault, and I'm sure Dumbledore does too, but you have to give him your side of the story."

"Yer righ'. Yer always righ' about this sort of thing. But I don' want anything ter happen ter Buckbeak."

Our conversation turned from Buckbeak to classes and from there it was simply two friends catching up. I'd visited Hagrid as a student and I missed being able to talk with him about nearly everything. We stopped talking when I heard voices outside. His class was looking for him, some of the students were trying to look in the windows.

"That's my cue to head up to the school. Sorry you missed lunch, Hagrid." I said, taking my cup to the sink in the small kitchen area. "I'll just use the back door."

"Thanks fer comin' down, Jacque." He said opening the front door to start class. I used the back door, as I said I would, and quickly walked back up to the school. I made my way to the Great Hall, where I'd be watching over the students who had a study hall. The study hall was boring, to say the least, there wasn't much for me to do except tell students who were talking to be quiet and work on their assignments. I was more than happy when the bell rang and I could run to my classroom to get the papers for the seventh years out. As far as finding out how much the class knew, the quiz showed that they were pretty much on track, they studied independently outside of class while deciphering runes inside of class. I gave them a review assignment and sent them on their way a good ten minutes before the bell rang. I graded the quizzes and put them in my drawer before locking it with a spell resistant to _Alohomora. _I spent my next hour or so before dinner adding some special decorations to my classroom. A knock on my door brought me out of my decorating spree. I invited whoever it was in and I was pleasantly surprised to see Harry.

"Hey. How have your first two days of classes been? I heard you rode a hippogriff."

"How did you hear that?" He asked, watching me walk around my room to add pictures of runes among other decorations to the walls.

"Hagrid and I had lunch today. He said that Buckbeak must only like members of the Potter family, or something." I looked over my shoulder and grinned. "So, your classes?"

He told me about his newer classes, like Divination and Care of Magical Creatures. He liked Care of Magical Creatures, but Professor Trelawney had told him he had the Grim.

"McGonagall joked about it though, says Trelawney greets a new class by predicting a students death."

"Sadly it's true, I believe she predicted Amelia Flanders' death in my third year. She's still alive though, and living rather well. You can't take Professor Trelawney too seriously. She likes to entertain her classes."

"So you don't think she saw the Grim?" Harry asked, his green eyes looking into my brown ones.

"I think she saw something and decided to get your class riled up. Personally, I wouldn't pay much attention to it. I enjoyed Divination until the end of fifth year when I dropped it for a free period. My other classes became more important."

"I wish I hadn't taken it. Ron and I choose classes at random. We wanted to be in class together."

"You can't do that all the time. I tried to take classes I thought my friends would take and we ended up only having our main classes together. I can't say I'm disappointed that I didn't have more classes with my friends because I found out I'm a natural with runes."

We talked for a little longer before heading down to dinner. We entered the Great Hall together and I said a quick good-bye to my nephew before taking my seat at the staff table. Remus looked at me with a raised brow.

"What?" I asked, as I put a pork chop on my plate.

"You and Harry walked in together. I thought you were letting him decide how you went about getting to know each other."

"He came to me. We were talking about his classes. Trelawney said he had the Grim, like she does in every class she has."

"I never knew that, of course, I didn't take Divination."

"Yeah, none of you guys did. It was me and Amelia. Have you heard from her Moony?" I whispered, knowing that he had liked Amelia well enough during our school years.

"Not really. She was always with you, nearly as inseparable from you as Lily was. But she was kind to everyone she knew."

"She was not inseparable from me, and neither was Lily," I protested. Remus chuckled and took a sip of his tea.

"If that was the case, I wouldn't have been friends with you or your brother."

"You have a point. So when is the next…?"

"I'll let you know. Don't talk about it here." He scolded, giving me a small slap on the shoulder. Snape leaned forward and glared at us, obviously knowing what we were talking about. His cold black eyes held the hatred he felt towards my brother and me.

"Can I help you, Severus?" I asked sweetly, helping myself to some ice cream and a small piece of cake (the main course had just disappeared.) Snape sneered at me.

"I wouldn't ask for your help if my life depended on it."

"Then butt out of my conversation with Remus. It has very little to do with you."

"Potter, you don't seem to understand how big a part I play to your friend being here."

"Actually, I know more than you think," I replied coolly. "I know that if you don't butt out, you'll be in a lot of pain." Snape, knowing that I meant what I said, did actually leave Remus and me alone. The rest of dinner passed without incident and soon enough I was getting out of my seat with the other teachers.

"Jacquelyn, if you don't mind, I'd like to have a word with you."

"Lead the way, Albus." I said calmly to the Headmaster, very unsure of why he needed to speak with me. I followed Dumbledore out of the Great Hall and to his office where I was greeted by the many previous heads of the school. I smiled and said a few 'hellos' of my own, especially to Phineas Nigellus Black who seemed overjoyed to see me back at Hogwarts.

"One of the nicest people I've ever spoken to, that Jacquelyn Potter." He said to one of the other heads. My focus was no longer on him, but on the current Headmaster.

"I suppose you are wondering why I've asked you here, Jacque."

"I've stopped questioning the things you do, sir. I think you know what you're doing." His blue eyes twinkled and he smiled at me.

"I think tonight we will keep this simple. Harry has a Hogsmead form that, if I am correct, hasn't been signed. I believe that he will ask you to sign his form."

"Well, I am his aunt, I'd be able to give him permission. Nobody should have to miss out on Hogsmead."

"As much as I agree that you could give him permission, I'm going to ask that you do not." At that, I started to protest, wanting my nephew to be able to go into the village with his friends. "Jacquelyn, please listen. I do not think it is safe for Harry to leave the school at this time. If you have a problem with this, then you should stay in the school with Harry when the other students visit the village."

"I can't stay during Hogsmead visits. I have…er…business to attend to."

"Nothing mischievous, I hope."

"It's nothing that would've gotten me in trouble during school." I said with a grin. "Do you really think Harry will be in danger in Hogsmead?"

"Personally, I do not. I think he'd be well enough with his friends. The Ministry believes that he is in danger and as the Dementors are here, I figure we should do as the Ministry wishes."

"Right. Is there anything else? I have a feeling that this isn't the only thing you wanted to talk about."

"This is all for tonight. We'll have more of these meetings, I'm sure."

"Good evening then, Albus. I'll see you at breakfast."

He bid me good night and I left his office to venture back to my own on the first floor. I yawned as I entered my room and slipped my boots off as I made my way to my bed. I grabbed my pajamas from the food of my bed and went into the bathroom to take a quick shower. I got dressed, after drying off using magic and slipped under the thick blanket. I was asleep before my head hit the pillow.

Strangely enough, it wasn't my clock that woke me up the next morning. It was the sound of an owl pecking at my window. I jumped out of bed and let my owl inside.

"Elle, that was a lot faster than what I thought." She hooted softly and instead of taking off to the owlery, she flew into her cage which was, out of habit, filled with both food and water. I opened the letter and read it slowly, trying to catch every detail.

**Dear Pup,**

**Don't worry too much about changing the date, I'll see you sooner than I thought. I'll be in Hogsmead in a weeks time, mainly getting papers out of trash bins. If you still want to meet earlier than the scheduled visit to the village, meet me by Dervish and Banges in my favorite form next weekend or on Halloween between twleve and two. **

After reading over the letter, I walked to calender and circled September tenth. I had already decided that I had to meet with Sirius, and the earlier that happened, the better.


	6. Chapter 6

The week went by slowly, keeping me wishing for the weekend. I somehow got through my classes, don't ask me how, I think it helped that Harry, Ron and Hermione stopped by as much as they could and Remus was always asking me to help him plan his lessons, which by the sounds of it, were the most popular of any students classes.

By the time the weekend rolled around, I was exhausted from being so anxious. But as soon as my clock went off on Saturday, I was out of bed and getting ready. I put on a pair of jeans that had splatters of paint covering them from when I painted my apartment, and a green t-shirt. I picked up my bag from beside my door and headed out of my classroom to the kitchens. Once there, I was surrounded by at least twenty house elves.

"Good morning, miss. What can we get you?"

"Anything you have to spare, actually. I need you to fill up this lunchbox." I said, pulling a rather large lunchbox from my bag. Of course, it had been shrunken down to fit into my bag, but after a quick wave of my wand, it resumed its normal size. The elves brought me plenty of food, which I shrunk so the box would hold a lot more than it was supposed to. Once I thought the box held enough food to last a week or two, I thanked the house elves and went on my way to the main entrance. I muttered a few 'hellos' to students who spoke to me first and then slipped out of the main doors which brought me outside. I walked slowly to the Forbidden Forest and looked around, making sure nobody was watching before walking farther into the cover of the trees. There, I changed into my Animagus form, a Siberian husky. My bag was on the ground next to me and I somehow managed to get it around my neck. I was suddenly overcome with great joy, I hadn't changed into my Animagus form in a very long time. I hadn't seen Remus in quite a long time before our meeting at Flouish and Blott's. I wanted to run through the forest and then take a nap by whatever water source was close, it wasn't the Black Lake, I could tell by the scent.

Somehow I pulled myself away from wanting to run free and made my way through the forest to get to Dervish and Banges where I was meeting with Sirius. There was a big, shaggy, black dog trying to get into a trash bin. I barked, getting his attention and I could tell that he was smiling. I ran up to him and rubbed my nose against his neck and he returned the gesture. He then nudged me with his head, moving me in the direction he wanted, and after a bit of resistance, we were heading toward the Shrieking Shack. He pushed the door to the shack open and walked inside and I quickly followed. Once we were sure that we were completely alone, we changed back and I resisted giving Sirius a hug. In front of me stood an image of one of my best friends. His hair was a little past his shoulders and his face was sunken in from malnutrition.

"Are you going to stare at me all afternoon, Jacque?" His voice was raspy and without thinking I reached into my bag and pulled out the lunchbox. I handed it to Sirius and sat down on the old bed set up in the corner of the room.

"I brought as much food as the house elves would give me. I can get more." I grabbed my wand and returned the food to its normal size. He immediately started eating, not that I could blame him, but it was a little disgusting.

"Thanks," He said a few minutes later after he'd finished off three sandwiches, two apples and one of the thermoses of pumpkin juice. "I owe you for this."

"You'd do the same for me and there's two weeks of food in there, not that it matters. Now what did you want to talk about?" Personally, I didn't really care much for talking. What I was wanting, no needing, to do was get Sirius to a place he could really rest, could really get healthy because no matter what he had to tell me, I knew he was innocent.

"I didn't kill Pettigrew and that was never my intention, or I don't believe it was." He began, taking a seat next to me. "After giving Hagrid my bike and making sure he took Harry to safety, I went to see if Pettigrew was okay. When I didn't find him at his house, I got suspicious and tracked him down. I found him in the street with all the Muggles and the rest is history. Except most people don't know…"

"That the biggest part of Pettigrew found was his finger. That genius…he cut it off himself?" I asked, looking at Sirius like he was crazy to suggest such a thing, even though I knew it was true. His nod only confirmed it. "I always had a feeling that helping him become an Animagus would lead to trouble. But I thought you were Lily and James' Secret Keeper?"

"I thought I'd be the obvious choice, and at first they wanted me to be, but I convinced them to change to Pettigrew. I was staying with Remus and at the time we thought he was the spy."

"That's right, but both you and Remus were with me on Halloween. If only I would've stayed with them that night, maybe I could've done more."

"There was nothing you could've done. Jacque, if you would've stayed, Remus and I wouldn't have you here and neither would Harry." I nodded, but didn't completely agree with what he was saying. I couldn't help but think that Voldemort wanted more than to kill Harry, because that was obviously his main goal.

"So, it's because of Pettigrew that my brother and best friend are dead and that their son lives with his hateful Aunt Petunia."

"That about sums it up." Sirius looked at me with a small, sad smile. "I wouldn't blame you if you hated me now."

"Sirius, I could never hate you. If you didn't notice in school, I never liked Pettigrew. He was just…not right." I leaned back and my head hit the back of the wall, but I didn't care. I glanced at Sirius and grinned. "You need a hair cut, my friend."

He let out a bark like laugh and leaned back too. "You mean I don't look amazingly sexy with long hair?"

"Chin length hair was pushing it, Padfoot. This whole past the shoulders thing is very girly…I'm disappointed in you."

We spent the rest of the day talking, and once the sun had started to set, I gave him one last hug, promising that I would be back in a few days.

"Jacque, you can't risk coming out to see me so much. Someone will figure out where you're going and then the Dementors will find me." After a few minutes of pointless arguing, I left the Shrieking Shack in my Animagus form with Sirius right behind me. He was making sure I got through the Forbidden Forest without any problems and I saw him sitting at the edge of the forest when I walked back up to the school. I didn't like leaving my friend out in the forest without company, but I was sure I'd be seeing him soon. I couldn't help but feel that he hadn't told me everything he wanted to though.

"Where have you been all day," Remus asked that evening at dinner.

"Around…I went for a run." I said, pushing my food around my plate. I didn't like hiding things from Remus, since we'd been teaching at Hogwarts, we'd fallen back into that easy going routine that we'd had back when we were in school.

"Since when do you exercise?"

"Yeah, I know it's weird. But I haven't had a good chance to go onto the grounds since we got here and I was bored. So I went for a run." I heard Snape scoff from my left and turned towards him, an annoyed look on my face. "If you have something to say, Severus, please contribute to this conversation…"

"She probably has a lover in the village, Lupin…it's that simple."

"Yes, because I've been here long enough to find a lover. You need to remember that I wasn't the Gryffindor whore."

"According to most everyone in our class, you were, Potter."

"And they were wrong." I sighed, knowing that he was trying to make me say something that could get me into some deep trouble, and went back to my food. After dinner, Remus walked me back to my classroom and we each said good night. I was exhausted from everything that had happened today and I was ready to lie down and get some sleep. I felt guilty as I changed and climbed into bed as I knew that Sirius was sleeping in the Shrieking Shack and it was starting to get colder.

_I'll find a way to keep that shack warm for him. I'll send him a blanket in a few days._ I thought as I drifted off to sleep.


End file.
